Combs new Mountie head coach

Mark HazelwoodPublished: August 11, 2006 12:00AM

By MARK HAZELWOOD
T-G Sports Writer
NANKIN The search for a new Mapleton boys basketball coach didnt have to go very far, as Joe Combs will get his first shot at a varsity coaching job this winter for the Mounties.
After spending four years in Virginia, Combs was Jim Hannas junior varsity coach last season at Mapleton. Hanna resigned this past spring to coach his alma mater at nearby Hillsdale.
I was excited to get this opportunity, Combs said. Its pretty early in my career, and I wasnt expecting something to come up this early. But I love the school, the kids are great and Jim did a great job of building things back up. I got a lot of confidence learning from him, so Im very excited and also very thankful to him.
Hanna won just one game in the 2003-04 season, but at the end of this past season and just two years later, the Mounties finished with a 10-13 record and the first sectional championship in nearly 20 years with a roster that featured six seniors, four of whom started.
That will change this year, as many of this coming seasons players will be getting their feet wet at the varsity level along with Combs. Just two players return from last seasons team, including one starter. Thats not to say the cupboard is bare, however, as the lone starter back is a solid player in senior J.R. Keener.
Keener has averaged 11.3 points per game and 6.1 rebounds over the past two seasons as a starter. He will be joined by fellow senior Andrew Yoder, a backup guard a year ago when he averaged 2.4 points per game and 1.1 assists in 21 games of action.
Its going to be a new varsity experience for most of the guys, Combs said. Its kind of nice in a way, because they know what to expect of me because I coached so many of them last season as the JV coach. That should ease the process a little bit.
And while Combs will run his own program, thats not to say a lot of things will change in terms of an offensive and defensive philosophy.
Since me and Jim got a long so well, a lot of the philosophy will still be similar, he said. We each have our own idea on things obviously, but a lot he did wont change because we did have some of the same ideas and beliefs. I will make some changes to mix it up a little bit.
If we are capable of doing some things from last year then well do it, but if we need to make changes, we will.
Combs then discussed how things have progressed over the summer for the Mounties.
Considering the coaching situation, I think we met our objectives going into the summer, he said. We got to know each other more and developed some chemistry. We competed with some big schools, and at times it was up and down, but we got done what we wanted.
Combs also knows it wont be easy breaking into the Firelands Conference, after the resurgent years had by Plymouth, Crestview and South Central. Factor in regular contenders like Western Reserve, St. Paul, and New London, and things can get tough in a hurry.
I think its clear that top to bottom its an extremely competitive conference, he said. A lot of teams are returning key players, and I expect it to be up for grabs. But that also gives us confidence going into it as well.
n Contact Mark Hazelwood, sports writer, at 419-281-0581, ext. 255, or mhazelwood@times-gazette.com.